Coupling and locking mechanism



Oct. 13, 1959 J. B. ABERER COUPLING AND LOCKING MECHANISM Filed April 24, 1957 2,908,520 Patented Oct. 13, 1959 coUPLiNG AND LOCKING MECHANISM James B. Aberer, Mission, Kans.,`assignor to John C. Hockery, Kansas City, Mo., as trustee Application April 24, `1951, serial No. 654,904

Is claims. (ci. 287-126) This invention relates to engaging -andfastening means for devices with separable portions such as hand-operated kitchen utensils lhaving separable bases and operating heads and refers more particularly to a coupling and locking mechanism for such constructions which greatly facilitates the coupling, uncoupling, locking and unlocking of the separable parts while providing a rigid, secure, safe engagement for the parts when together.

Food processing devices such `as vegetable Shredders, meat grinders and the like, having separable heads and bases, are well known in the kitchen utensil art. Many other professional or home kitchen devices have separable operating heads and bases. Various means for engaging and disengaging suc-h separable operating heads and bases have been provided by the art. However, the conventionally known and available engaging and disengaging mechanismspgenerally share numerous disadvantages. For example, their operation in the coupling, uncoupling, locking and unlocking processes may not be of the desired simplicity and ease. The coupling, uncoupling, locking and unlocking of the operating heads yand bases may be accomplishable with the desired speed and simplicity of motion. The available engaging and disengaging means may or may not include a locking attachment to strongly couple the engaged operating head and base together to protect against separation and possible accident on part of the user in the case of spills or displacement. If such a locking device is provided, it is often separate from the coupling means or, even if not, the simplicity, speed and ease of its operation may not be satisfactory. Generally, in such conventional mechanisms, both the coupling and locking mechanisms of the device are diilicult to clean and not easy of access. Another usual objection is that either or both the coupling and locking mechanisms, if both are provided, are of insufficient ruggedness andk strength relative the weight of the parts to be held together and the stresses and strains imposed upon the coupling and locking mechanism in the process of their operation. Finally, the presently available and conventional coupling and/or locking mechanisms are generally cumbersome and not positioned within or screenedby the actual base and operating head constructions. Thus, they generally detract from the appearance of the assembled article, the

protrusion of the various par-ts thereof also often hindering the mechanical' operations of the device proper.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a combined coupling and locking mechanism applicable particularly to the joinder of the base and operating head of kitchen utensils and devices which has a simple, positive mode of operation which is obvious immediately from inspection thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide coupling and locking means particularly adapted to joining the separable operating heads yand bases of kitchen utensils and like devices, wherein the coupling, uncoupling, locking and unlockingof the parts are swiftly and easily accomplished and may, additionally, be easily oper-ated and 2 manipulated with wet or slippery hands on the part of the operator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cornbined coupling and locking mechanism for uniting separable parts of unitary devices such as kitchen utensils and the like which isof easy access, simple and easy to clean, has extreme -ruggedness and strength relativethe weights of the parts it may couple together and the stress and strain applied to lit by the yfunction of the apparatus and, finally, is both substantially disguised by the coni ventional construction of the device to be coupled itself and has no protruding parts `to hinder the operation or mechanical function of the device to be coupled.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a combined coupling and locking mechanism which is extremely tenacious of grip and engagement and protects against separation of the parts of the device even in the case of displacementthereof, spills, or accidents, thereby protecting the user Afrom any injury from the device itself.

Yet -another object of the invention is to provide a combined coupling and locking mechanism to join the separable parts of devices such as kitchen utensils wherein the mechanism is extremely rugged, is protected from any accident or Iharm by the structure of the device it couples and which will have an exceedingly long life under the most arduous use due to its unique construction which applies to good deal of frictional engagement force yet does not stress the coupling and lockingV mechanism itself.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear in the course of the following description thereof.

In the drawings, vwhich form a part of the instant specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith, an embodiment of the invention is shown and, in the various views, like numerals are employed to indicate like pants.

Fig. 1 is an end vieW of =a lkitchen utensil (in this case a vegetable shredder) having a separable base and operating head in lwhich the inventive coupling and locking mechanism has been applied.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the engaging member which would be attached to the operating head of the device off Fig. 1 and the post to receive it which would be formed within the base of the device of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view'of the base of the device of Fig. 1 showing the coupling and locking mechanism in coupled and locked position.

Fig. 4 is a view taken along the lines 4-4 of Fig. 3 in the direction of the arrows, with the coupling and locking mechanism shown in locking position in full lines and in unlocked position in dotted lines.

Fig. 5 is a view taken along the lines 5 5 of Fig. 4 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to Fig. 1 particularly, at 10 is shown the base of a kitchen utensil having a central post 11, and depending base legs 12 which have attached suction cups 13. Each of the base legs 12 has a forward extending leg counterpart so there are four legs 12 with four suction cups 13, it being the rear of the device which is shown in Fig. 1; The operating head of the vegetable shredder has an engaging member 14, the upper part of which forms a housing 15 carrying feedway 16 and through which extends the axle of handle 17. Cutting blade 18 is fixed to the oppositeend of the handle axle and is rotated with the handle 17. All of these parts form no specific part of the invention but are merely recited to illustrate the overall configuration of a typical device in which the inventive coupling and locking mechanism would be used.

Figs. 2 and 4 show best the cooperation and cooperating structure between the engaging member of the operating head and the postv 1'1` of the base. Referring first to the operating head and the engaging member 14, depending flange 19 is fixed to the lower surface 14a of the engaging member, which is preferably flat and preferably has a greater diameter thanlth'ediameter of the post orifice to be described. Flange 19 is preferably half cylindrical in form with side edges19a and has an enlarged engaging stud 20 onthe inner concave face thereof.

Referring now to the post 11, therein is formed arecessed orifice having a circumferential upper rim 21. A portion 22 of the orifice is formed so as to receive the depending flange 19` and fixedly position it against both lateral and rotationalv movement relative the post 11. This flange receiving portion 22 has a floor 23 therein having an opening 24 extending across essentially the entire extent thereof. Closing off the :flange receiving orifice is vertically extending wall 2S which has a continuation` of opening 24 in the floor 23 centrally thereof extending the full height of the wall 25 and partly into the roof 26 of the nonllange receiving portion of the orifice. Roof 26 is spaced downwardly somewhat from the upper rim 21 of said orifice. Flange abutting post members 27 are positioned at the outside edges of said wall 25 and serve to engage the free edges 19a of the flange 19. It should be noted that the flange 19 is formed so that its convex outer face fits against the flange receiving orifice wall 22 snugly, with the free ends 19a of the flange in contact with the flange posts 27 whereby to fix the flange 19 relative lateral and rotational motion of the flange relative the post 11. The parts already described comprise only the coupling means for engaging the operating head and base of the kitchen device.

Turning to the locking means to prevent longitudinal movement of the flange relative the orifice, a shaft or pin 28 (Figs. 3-5) is fxedly mounted at both ends by grips 29 under the ceiling 26. The underside of the ceiling 26 has a central groove 26a therein for a purpose to be described. Mounted on shaft 28 is V-shaped locking arm 30 which is preferably a bifurcated memberv in its upper portion, the bifurcated parts joined by a common base 30a at the juncture of the V. Mounting arm 30b is pivotally mounted on shaft 28 and the engaging arm 30e extends upwardly into the orifice 22 and carries friction wheel 31 rotatably mounted by pin 32 between the bifurcated arms as seen in Figs. 4and 5. The top rounded end of the mounting arm 30b extends into the slot 26a to permit pivotal movement thereof. The engaging arm 30C, in both its locking and unlocking positions, as may be seen in Fig. 4, together with wheel 31, always extends at least partly into the opening 24, the rearward movement of the mounting arm 30b being limited by downwardly extending flange 33 which has its counterpart on the opposite side of the engaging arm 30e, both of these flanges also serving to rigidify the base 10.

In operation, with the engagement and base separated as in Fig. 2, the engaging arm 30 is free to move back and forth around the pivot pin 28 with the wheel 31 moving upwardly or downwardly relative the orifice 22, but, normally, the arm 30 lis in the position shown in dotted line in Fig. 4, the greater mass of the engaging arm 30e with the wheel 30 tending to rotate the arm 30 around the pin 28 to bring it against the engaging flange 33. The engaging member 14 may then be lowered so that the flange 19 is inserted into the orice 22. It should be noted that flange abutting posts 27y may be slanted at an angle into the orifice 22 and the flange 19 tapered by angling the flange faces 19a from the vertical to permit easier feeding of the flange 19 into the orifice 22, if desired. At any rate, as the bottom surface of the engaging member approaches the rim 21, the flange faces 19a are engaged by the posts 27. The engagingmember 14, when the bottom face 14a thereof engages the rim 21, is relatively firmly locked against rotational or lateral movement relative the post 11. At this stage, the inventive coupling and locking mechanism is in the position shown 4l v in Fig. 4 with the engaging arm 30 still in the dotted line position.

The operator then, with one finger, exerts force from right to left in Fig. 4 against the outer surface of the arm 30b and the entire engaging arm 30` pivots around pin 2S with the periphery of wheel 31 coming against the enlarged portion 20 of the flange. A predetermined amount of force is required to force the arm 30 into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4 and rotate the wheel 31 over the enlarged portion 20. The resilience required to force the wheel over the portion 20 may be provided by the V-arm 30, the wheel mounting pin 32 or the arm mounting pin 28. The distance from the pin 28 to the outer opposite surface of the wheel 31, in the full line position of Fig. 4, must be at least slightly greater than the distance from the same pin to the inner surface of the flange 19 at the bearing point of the wheel 31, so that there will be a predetermined amount of tension exerted on the flange at all times to lock it against longitudinal movement within the post 11. It should be additionally pointed out that the enlarged portion 20 which is passed over by the wheel 31 in moving to the full line position of Fig. 4 also militates against removal of the flange 19 from the orifice 22. To unlock the flange 19 and the orifice 22, the locking arm 30 is merely moved to the dotted line position of Fig. 4 by application of force to the outside surface of arm 30C, thus causing the wheel 31 to ride down over the flange enlarged portion 20 and into the dotted line position of Fig. 4. The flange 19 may then be removed vertically from the orifice without any frictional or engaging difliculty. The fact that a wheel 31 is the engaging means for the flange 19 obviates any or almost all chance of wearing down of the surface engaging the flange 19 as the wheel does not ride frictionally over the inside surface of the flange and the enlarged portion 20 but, instead, rotates over it without a wearing action.

' From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention is well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinbefore set forth, together with other advantages which are inherent to the apparatus.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the Scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter hereinabove set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A coupling and locking mechanism comprising a post, a cavity substantially semicircular in cross section in said post, an engaging member for said post, a substantially semicircular flange depending engaging member, the curved portion of the Wall of said cavity and the outer depending surface of said flange so formed as to engage one another so as to fxedly position said flange in said cavity against lateral and rotational movement relative said post, and an engaging arm pivoted at one end in the post and the other end of the engaging arm movable as the arm pivots to contact the flange and frictionally engage it whereby to resist movement of the flange longitudinally of said post.

2. A coupling and locking mechanism as in claim 1 including abutments in said cavity to contact the ends of said flange when it is positioned within the cavity.

3. A coupling and locking mechanism comprising a post, a circular cavity in said post, a substantially semicircular portion of said cavity deeper than the remainder thereof, an engaging member for said post, a substantially semicircular flange depending from said engaging member, the curved portion of the wall of said deeper portion of the cavity and the outer depending surface of said flange so formed'as to engage one another so as to iixedly position said flange in said cavity against lateral and rotational movement relative said post, a V-shaped engaging arm pivoted adjacent the end of one leg of the V within the post under the shallower portion of the cavity and above the bottom of the deeper portion of the cavity, the other leg of the V-shaped engaging arm movable as the arm pivots into the deeper por tion of the cavity to contact the ange and frictionally engage it whereby to resist movement of the flange longitudinally of said post.

4. A coupling and locking mechanism comprising a post, a cavity in said post, an engaging member for said post, a ange depending from said engaging member, at least a portion of the Wall of said cavity and at least a portion of the depending surface of said flange so formed as to engage one another so as to xedly position said ange in said cavity against lateral rand rotational movement relative said post, an engaging arm pivoted at one end in the post, the other end of the arm movable as the arm pivots to contact the ilange and frictionally engage it whereby to resist movement of the flange longitudinally of said post, and a rotatable member pivoted adjacent the free end of the engaging arm, the rotatable member engageable with the inner surface of therange.

5. A coupling and locking mechanism comprising a post, a cavity in said post', an engaging member for said post, a ange depending from said engaging member, at least a portion of the wall of said cavity and at least a portion of the depending surface of said flange so formed as to engage one another so as to ixedly position said flange in said cavity against 'lateral and rotational movement relative said post, a V-shaped engaging arm pivoted adjacent the end of oneleg of the V within the post, the other leg of the V movable as the arm pivots to contact the flange and frictionally engage it whereby to resist movement of the ilange longitudinally of said post, and a rotatable member pivoted adjacent the free end of the free leg of the V-shaped engaging arm, the rotatable member engageable with the surface of the ange.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,063,716 McLaughlin June 3, 1913 1,064,005 Pritzl June 10, 1913 1,836,348 Wardell Dec. 15, 1931 2,099,635 Toniolo Nov. 16, 1937 2,220,263 Moir et -al Nov. 5, 1940 2,382,811 Papkin Aug. 14, 1945 

